The presence of Bree Tanner in ‘Eclipse’ is so slight that even ardent Twilight fans might find themselves checking their memory before recalling just where her name fits into the story. When I heard Stephanie Meyer was writing the book, and when I unhesitatingly bought it from the shelf, I knew Bree Tanner was the newborn the Cullens attempt to save at the end. What I was less than certain of was whether or not the shortened form of a novella would offer enough time to not only develop the story of the newborn army, but also of Bree herself. This girl was somebody before she was changed. Who was she?
First off, let me assure you this story is not a disappointment. Why it should appeal to more than just Twilight fans, I will address later. Suffice it to say, having read all five of her books (and now this novella here), I can tell you Meyer definitely knows the art of the story and how to develop a cast of characters. Part of that ease, in this instance, possibly is due to the shallow, one-dimensional nature of most of these characters. The newborn army are creatures controlled by their appetites and who react to things solely on the basis of desire. They are susceptible to their Hollywood beliefs on vampires (knowing nothing of the Cullens’ vampire world) accepting sunlight as lethal and the night as their friend.
I entered this story expecting this: mindless creatures under the sway of Victoria, controlled by her authority like a pack of dogs, rabid and sent loose to devour and destroy; and, for the most part, such is true. Bree, however, becomes the exception. She gives into her thirst, and she follows Riley’s orders (Victoria’s regent with the newborns); but her mind remains intact, and her heart stands open to other possible truths she has yet to hear – a thing, which occurs, when Diego, a newborn slightly older, becomes her friend. Together they discover the constraints upon being a vampire are not exactly what they’ve been told.
A little bit of knowledge can either be a dangerous thing or a liberating experience. Such is the story of Bree Tanner. She and Diego can return to what they knew – life with the other newborns who raze every house where their daylight hours were spent; where other newborns were dismembered or even destroyed – or they could abandon that existence for the unknown. While the title itself gives away what direction the two of them took , Meyer never fails to keep open the door of possibility, the hope that even tragedy would turn towards life. Though one knows how the story will end, she still dangles that whisper of hope that maybe, just maybe this time things will be different.
What hope does emerge from the story of Bree Tanner, as I view it, is two-fold: first there is the allegory one can place upon her life as a newborn. I would imagine her life as parallel to the desires of any soul hooked on drugs. For awhile you are fine and normal; when the hunger takes over, it consumes you with the blinding rage of an animal, which is what happens to Bree when she smells the blood of a human.
The other part is where it connects to the story of the Cullens. Being that I just finished ‘Breaking Dawn’ prior to reading about Bree Tanner, I could see how the order of the Volturi, all powerful from the first two books in the series, was now under threat by the order of the Cullens. The confrontation between the two at the end of ‘Breaking Dawn’ makes that clear; and the compassion they show Bree at the end of her story, juxtaposed against the wrath of the Volturi, deliver the standoff between the two into even greater clarity. Stephanie Meyer, while certainly having concluded the story of Edward and Bella, could now, very easily, break off into a new set of stories pitting the justice and wrath of the Volturi (they operate solely under the authority of their own law) with the mercy, compassion, and forgiveness of the Cullens. You see it being confronted in this story; you evidence the standoff in ‘Breaking Dawn’; now I hope Meyer takes the leap into the next step: these two ideologies facing off with mercy triumphing over justice. It is the age-old tale of all ages gone past.”
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